Barrier for a doorway or the like



July 31, 1956 G. cATTERMoLE ET AL 2,756,469

BARRIER FOR A DOORWAY OR THE LIKE Filed July 22, 1954 @5.1. Y ff wwwUnited States Patent BARRIER FOR A DooRwAY R THE LIKE Lester G.Cattermole and George P. Patriquin, Gardner, Mass., assignors to GardnerWood Products Co., Inc., Gardner, Mass., a corporation of MassachusettsApplication July 22, 1954, Serial No. 445,150

2 Claims. (Cl. 20-71) constructed and arranged so as to function asmeans to close a doorway, stairway, gateway, hallway, passageway or thelike against the unwanted passage of an infant therethrough,

According to novel features of the invention, the barrier is adjustablefor doorways or similar passageways of different widths and is providedwith means to facilitate the wedging thereof in a doorway againstunwanted removal. It is so designed as to compensate for any lack ofparallelism in the opposite sides of the doorway, stairway, gateway,hallway, passageway or similar opening.

The construction is such as to facilitate the ready and easy adjustmentand wedging of the barrier in a doorway or the like as well as the readyand easy removal therefrom.

All of the above objects we accomplish by means of such structure andrelative arrangements of parts thereof, as will fully appear by aperusal of the description below and by various specic features whichwill be hereinafter set forth.

To the above cited and other ends and with the foregoing and variousother novel features and advantages and other objects of our inventionas will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, ourinvention consists in certain novel features of construction and in thecombination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter moreparticularly pointed out in the claims hereunto annexed and more fullydescribed and referred to in connection with the accompanying drawingswhere- 1n:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of a barrier having the novel featuresof the invention associated therewith;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of one end of one of the rails of thebarrier shown in Fig. l with certain parts in section for clearness;

Fig. 3 is a plan View of one of the adjustable members of the barrier;

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of an opposite end portion of one of therails of the barrier;

Fig. 5 is a combined plan and sectional View on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4;and

Fig. 6 is a sectional plan view on the line 6-6 of Fig. l.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, the invention will befully described.

Horizontal upper and lower longitudinal rails 2 and 4 are provided whichare secured to upper and lower ends of longitudinally spaced spokes 6.Members 2, 4 and 6 may be made from rigid, relatively light weightmaterial such as wood or the like and may be secured together in anydesired manner.

Extension members 8 include longitudinal bars 10 having resilient oryieldable members 12 on their outer free ends. The members 12 may be ofrubber or the like.

Metallic caps 14 surround the right-hand ends of the rails 2 and 4 andare secured thereto as by screws or the like.

'I'he right-hand ends of the rails 2 and 4 are provided with slots 16and the bars 10 of members 8 are slidable in the caps 14 and in theslots 16.

Brackets 18 are secured to adjacent inner sides of the rails 2 and 4 andlocks 20 are slidable therein which are provided with knobs 22.

Springs 24 act upon projections 26 of the'locks 20 so as to resistoutward movement of the members 20 as shown in Fig. 2. The bars areprovided with openings 28 for receiving the end of the locks 20 as shownin Fig. 3.

In adjusting the barrier to a doorway or the like, the extensions aremoved outwardly to the desired position when released by withdrawing thelocks 20. The locks snap into the openings 28 of the bars so as to lockthem in desired adjusted positions. The pads 12 will abut the frame atone side of the doorway, gateway or the like where the device isemployed.

Opposite left-hand ends of the rails 2 and 4 are provided with anadjusting mechanism now to be described, and which will be'referred toas a jack means.

Ears such as 30 are secured adjacent the ends of the upper and lowerrails 2 and 4 at upper and lower sides of longitudinal slots 32 as shownin Fig. 4. Flanges 34 between the ears 30 have end portions 36 ofhorizontal v members 3S of a lock member 40 therebetween and pivoted tothe ears 3l) at 42.

Caps 44 are secured to the left-hand ends of the rails 2 and 4.

.Tack members 46 have bars 48 slidable in the grooves 32 of theleft-hand end of rails 2 and 4 and caps 44 and carry yieldable pads 50on outer ends thereof.

Forward edges of bars 48 are provided with serrations such as teeth andthe end portions 36 of the lock member 40 are provided with serrationsor teeth for meshing therewith, as shown in Fig. 5.

A retainer 52 is secured to one of the spokes and has a lip 54 on itsouter end, as shown in Fig. 6. The lock 40 is slightly yieldable and themember 52 is somewhat yieldable so that said member 40 may be pressedinwardly towards the spoke 6 and the lip 54 snapped over the member 40.The retainer holds the lock in the locking position.

By pressing the locking member 40 inwardly, the lip 54 may be movedrearwardly from off said member 40. The member 40 is then free to swingfrom locking to unlocking position wherein the teeth of the jack members48 and end portions 36 are disengaged so as to free the members 48.

With the pads 12 of members 10 adjusted relative to the rails 2 and 4 aspreviously described and engaging one side of a door frame or the like,the members 46 are pro-y jected outwardly so that the pads 50 abut theopposite sides of the door frame or the like. Thus the opposite sides ofthe door frame or the like are engaged by members 12 and 50.

Thereupon the member 40 is swung from unlocking to locking position. Asthe teeth of portions 36 engage the teeth of members 48 and the member40 is swung, the said members 48 are urged outwardly so that the members50 are forced against the side of the door frame or the like.

Thus the barrier is wedged between the sides `of the door frame or thelike against unwanted displacement.

It will be noted that the extension members at the righthand ends of therails are similar and that the kjack mechanism at the left-hand ends ofthe rails are similar but are locked in adjusted positions by a singlelocking member.

'Ihe extension members and the jack members when Patented July 31, `1956veiland/tea pendently adjustable so that the barrier may beadequate'lywedged in a door frame or the like where the opposite side members arenonfparallel. ,Y

,Qur invention'maybe embodied in ,other .specific forms withoutdeparting from the essential characteristics there of, Hence., thepresentembodimentsrare therefore tob'e considered in all respectsmerelyas being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope ofthe invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by theforegoing description, and all modications and variations as fall withinthe meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appended claimsaretherefore intended to be embraced therein. y What it isdesired to`clairn and secure by Letters Patent by the United States is:

v1. A barrier for wedging in vertical position .between opposite sidesof a doorway comprising in combination, upper and lower horizontalelongated rails secured in vertically spaced relation to opposite endsof horizontally spaced elongated spokes, said rails provided at oppositeendportions with elongated slotsvextending DWadlY and longitudinallyfrom the ends thereof, elongated extension members slidably guided inthe slots of one end of Vthe upper and lower rails and longitudinallythereof having outer ends yprovided with resilient means for engagingvertically spaced portions of one side yof a doorway and havinglongitudinally spaced i openings therein, spring pressed lock meansslidably guided in said one end 4of ythe 30 rails for entering the`openings of the extension members to hold them in extended positions.,elongated jack members slidably guided in the slots at the other ends ofthe upper and lower rails and longitudinally thereof having outer endsprovided with resilient members for engaging an opposite side of adoorway and having teeth along a side thereof, brackets secured to saidother ends of the rails, horizontal lock memberspivotally connected tosaid brackets onrvertical axis for swinging between locking positionadjacent said rails and unlocking position outwardlyaway therefrom,inner end portions of said horizontal lock members provided with teetharranged when in locking position thereof yto engage the teeth of thejack members and hold them .against axial movement and when in unlockingposition to release said jack' members, and means for operating saidhorizontal lock members.

2. A barrier for wedgingvbetween opposite sides of a doorway as setforth in claim 1 wherein the operating means includes a verticallyextending elongated member rigidly connected to outer ends of said lockmembers for simultaneous operation thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,241,660 Roberts octpz, 1.917

2,037,438 Roth .s.-- Apr. 14, 1936 2,645,789 Wisner 111157.21, 1953 fFOREIGN PATENTS 64,030 n Germany Aug. 25, 1892

